The role of journalism is tied to “concepts of justice and transparency and equity,” according to award-winning journalist Seth Freed Wessler, who spoke at Mount Holyoke on Monday, April 22. He was introduced by Professor David Hernández, and his visit to campus was hosted by the Weissman Center for Leadership and the Spanish, Latina/o and Latin American studies departments.

Senate met for the final time for the 2018-2019 academic year on Tuesday, April 23. The main focus of the meeting was to celebrate the conclusion of the academic year. The meeting also spent time on the Support PVTA Initiative and concluded the All-Campus Elections for this year.

PIONEER VALLEY/REGIONAL

“Look us in the eyes,” read a massive sign held by young activists on the steps of the Springfield District Court on Tuesday, Feb. 26. According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, “over 50 individuals, most of them young students, stood outside of U.S. Rep. Richard Neal’s (D-MA) Springfield office [...] chanting ‘Green New Deal, come on Neal!’” The youth activists rallied to push Neal to co-sponsor the Green New Deal Resolution.

FIVE COLLEGES

Former Mount Holyoke staff member Sean Mulveyhill, according to a Boston Globe article published on April 11, is facing allegations of sexual assault against a Mount Holyoke student. He was fired from his position in Dining Services on March 22 after being placed on administrative leave for several weeks.

OPINION/EDITORIAL

Due to the perception that many Asian-Americans have achieved conventional forms of success, like attending highly ranked colleges and having a high income compared to the national average, thus achieving the “American Dream,” they are often stereotyped to be the “model minority” of the United States.

Towards the end of the add-drop period for this semester, I received a confusing email from the Office of the Registrar. It read: “you are close to reaching the Non-Liberal Arts limit at Mount Holyoke. This means that you are close to maximum amount (12 credits) of classes in the CUSP [curricular support] or non-liberal arts designation that you can count toward your 128 credit requirement.”

One of the issues dividing the ballot in the 2020 election is slavery reparations. The concept has always had an ambiguous definition, but fundamentally, it entitles compensation — usually financial — for the descendants of slaves, meant to make amends for the centuries of brutality Americans faced under slavery and their economic and legal disenfranchisement thereafter.

ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

After a painfully long, two-year wait, the final season of “Game of Thrones” premiered on April 14. The eight-season series is based on George R. R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire,” an epic high fantasy series first published in 1996, opening with the novel, “A Game of Thrones.” Set primarily on the fictional continents of Westeros and Essos, “Game of Thrones” follows seven families as they struggle for the Iron Throne. The television series premiered in 2011 and has since established itself as one of — if not the most — popular television series of this decade. Created by Dan Benioff and D. B. Weiss, Martin also serves as an executive producer for the series, which smashed HBO’s ratings record with the premiere of its eighth season on Sunday.

Singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis has certainly been busy since her 2014 exit from indie band Rilo Kiley. Her 2014 solo album, “The Voyager,” was the product of five years’ work and reflection and preceded by the hit single and feminist anthem, “Just One of the Guys.” In 2016, she debuted with female rock trio “Nice as F*ck” alongside Erika Forster and Tennessee Thomas at a Bernie Sanders rally. The group released a self-titled LP of garage rock tunes that are a tougher backdrop for Lewis’ folksy twang. Lewis’ latest solo project, her album, “On the Line,” was released in late March and demonstrates that she is just as much a vanguard now as she was in 1998 as a standout lead singer and guitarist in a male-dominated genre

20-year-old Montero Lamar Hill, better known by his stage name, Lil Nas X, has had an eventful few months. It all started with the release of his nowfamous single, “Old Town Road,” in early December. The song was released during the rise of what many call the “Yeehaw Agenda,” a meme that blends cowboy aesthetics with mainstream humor, and bends genres to create what Hill himself calls “country trap.”

The play by Sarah Treem takes place in the 1970s, specifically in the weeks leading up to the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade, and is set in a safe house for abused women looking to escape unhealthy relationships. Agnes, who runs the safe house with her daughter, Penny, takes in a woman named Mary Anne, who changes their monotonous lives when she encourages Penny to flirt and wear dresses, setting a precedent in the household

Ever since I had seen the trailers for “Oxenfree,” Night School Studio’s first release, I had been excited to play it. From what I had seen, it seemed pretty ambitious. In “Oxenfree,” you play as Alex, a teenager in her junior year of high school who takes her stepbrother, Jonas, to an overnight beach party. After some exploring, Alex and her friends manage to accidentally open a rift, unleashing a strange ghostly force onto the island. The player follows the friends’ journey to escape the island while slowly uncovering its mysteries. Overall, it all seemed pretty promising. So, with Night School Studio’s latest project, “Afterparty,” set for release later this year, I decided it was time to finally give “Oxenfree” a go

Last week, the British Academy Games Awards held their 15th ceremony at Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. The show is dedicated to honoring the best of gaming each year across a variety of genres and platforms. To continue the celebration of 2019’s creative achievements in gaming, I’ve provided you with a little list of great independent mobile games featured at the awards show that you should definitely try out this week!

CBS and Jordan Peele have reimagined Rod Serling’s classic science fiction anthology “The Twilight Zone” and released the first episode on April 1. Given Peele’s impressive work creating unsettling tales “Get Out” and “Us,” the reboot of this cult favorite is a fitting next project for the star director. Peele’s skill for reflecting the horrors of reality in his work is evident in the new season of “The Twilight Zone.”

Rain and gloom outside the windows of the Blanchard Great Room set the scene for a cozy day of jazz last Friday, March 29 at the Five College Jazz Festival. Throughout the day, a steady stream of guests enjoyed jazz styles from various regions and time periods on the Great Room stage. Free and open to the public, the festival was an all-day opportunity to hear live jazz from groups representing the Five College music community.

Netflix released the eagerly anticipated third season of “Queer Eye” on March 15, providing the perfect binge-watch for this spring break. The Fab Five are back to “zhoosh” up Kansas City, MO. This season, Antoni, Bobby, Jonathan, Karamo and Tan bring a new sense of hope and confidence to nine new ‘heroes.’

From director Jordan Peele’s growing body of work, it’s becoming increasingly obvious that there is no better choice for the voice of the new CBS “Twilight Zone” series. Peele’s first film, “Get Out,” demonstrated that he is a master at crafting tales of horror and intrigue. “Get Out” was achieved with undeniable cleverness; there’s a kind of art to the way he weaves his films’ plot together, where everything seems to have a setup and a payoff. Peele takes great care with detail, a fact which is equally clear in his latest film “Us,” which follows the story of a family on vacation who are confronted by their own doppelgangers

On a spring Thursday morning, Five College dance instructor Marilyn Sylla sat on a Smith College piano bench moments after finishing her Dance in the Community class, a course she spearheaded. After a 25-year career within the Five Colleges and a lifetime of working in the arts, Sylla is finishing her final semester teaching.

A group of community advisors from Wilder Hall gathered in the Great Room of Blanchard Campus Center to set up for Multicultural Night on Thursday, April 11. The CAs planned the event in accordance with the College’s Living Learning Communities, (LLCs) including the Arts, Mi Gente, Mosaic and Shirley Chisholm floors, among others.